Hello Stone Sculptures

[Martin <mpope@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello to all on the list. I haven't as yet received and
mailings from the list so I thought I'd set the ball
rolling. I'm new to stone carving and decided to start
after trying drawing and painting for a while, but
decided I could work better in 3 dimensions.

After playing with some wood, a builder friend suggested
I try a Thermalite Building block. These are normally
18 X 4 X 9 inch blocks and only cost about £1 or less
if you know a builder and he has some left over. It's a
bit like Pumas stone to look at but can be worked with
old wood chisels, saws, Stanley Formers, Grape fruit
Knife, Bridals. It's quite brittle so you can get results
quickly. I haven't done much as yet, Which is why I 'm
attending the course on the 22 June, so I can learn how
to use the tools properly and what to look for in
selecting a lump of stone.

On the subject of which, A college in Oxford is
currently having some stone work done  and there is a
skip full of old Sandstone blocks out the front. A quick
wor d with the builders gave me permission to help
myself!!!! Just goes to show what can be achieved if you
ask nicely. Bye for now, Martin.